The Benefits of Occupational Therapy for Children with Hearing Loss

What is Occupational Therapy?

Contrary to popular belief, occupational therapists have nothing to do with helping kids find jobs! Instead, occupational therapy is a health profession that focuses on helping people of all ages to participate in daily living. Occupational therapy intervention uses everyday life activities, or occupations, to promote health, well-being, and the ability to participate in the things people want and need to do in their daily life. When working with kids, that can include anything from working on motor, cognitive, or emotional skill development; promoting self-care skills; increasing participation in school; or engaging in age-appropriate play. 

Occupational therapists (OTs) can work with children in a variety of settings, including early intervention centers, schools, and outpatient clinics. The eligibility requirements, intervention approaches, and targeted skills may look different depending on the setting, but pediatric OTs share the same goal of helping children achieve a higher level of independence and participation in meaningful activities.

How Can Occupational Therapists Support Children with Hearing Loss?

Current research suggests that children with hearing loss are more likely to have sensory processing challenges, reduced balance and postural control, delayed fine and gross motor skills, lower scores on visual-motor (hand-eye coordination) tests, and difficulties with social-emotional communication. Fortunately, these are all skills that can be addressed by OTs! OTs view each child holistically, considering all factors that affect their performance, leveraging their strengths, and setting personalized goals based on their unique needs.

How Can Parents Apply Occupational Therapy-Based Strategies?

While OTs use evidence-based, skilled interventions during treatment sessions, parents can continue building their child’s skills at home. The best part about occupational therapy intervention is that addressing these skills can be incorporated into kids’ daily activities, including play! There is evidence that children learn best through play because it promotes active engagement, problem-solving, and social interaction, which are crucial for cognitive and emotional development. While there are a multitude of activities that can help support each child’s development, here are a few ideas to get started:

Fine motor skills:

The ability to use the fingers, hands, and arms for functional tasks.

• Help children develop their grasp by picking up small items with tongs, tweezers, clothespins, or their fingers!
• Using play dough, putty, or clay is a great way to build hand strength. To work on multiple skills at once, try hiding small items in putty and have your child find them.
• If your child uses fine motor skills to manage their hearing devices or communicate using sign language, try incorporating these practices throughout the day as much as possible. 

Gross motor skills:

The ability to move the whole body, including the trunk, arms, and legs.

• Incorporate whole-body movement breaks throughout the day, including exercises such as jumping, crawling, or squeezing different parts of the body.
• Create a fun obstacle course at home! Include opportunities for your child to practice their balance, move through small spaces, and have different parts of the body work together.

Visual-motor skills:

The ability to take in visual information from the environment and translate it into a motor action.

• Play games that involve visual skills, including mazes, word searches, puzzles, or I-Spy.
• Have children practice writing letters with their fingers in various mediums, such as shaving cream, rice trays, or gel writing pads.

Sensory processing skills:

The ability to receive, interpret, and organize information from the environment in order to produce an appropriate response.

• Create opportunities for your child to play with different textures, such as sand, slime, or water.
• A child may respond differently to various sensory tools depending on their unique sensory processing patterns. See the STAR Institute link below for ideas on sensory-based activities to practice throughout the day.

Emotional regulation skills:

The ability to understand one’s emotions and manage behavioral responses to emotional situations.

• Use language from the Zones of Regulation curriculum to help children better identify their emotions, express how they are feeling, and learn strategies to improve or maintain their emotional state.
• Building language is crucial for children with hearing loss. Parents can help support both language and socio-emotional development by regularly naming their feelings and engaging in meaningful discussions about emotions with their child.

By integrating occupational therapy strategies into everyday activities, parents can support their children's development and help them thrive, turning daily moments into opportunities for growth and success.

Additional Resources

• American Occupational Therapy Association: resources on the occupational therapy profession, including fact sheets and articles on specific topics relevant to pediatric OT.
• Pathways.org: resources on child development, including milestone checklists and videos demonstrating OT-based exercises.
• Empowered Learning: resources for building school-related skills and recommendations for OTs working with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children.
• The OT Toolbox: resources for parents interested in OT, including blog posts, tools, and activity ideas for specific skills.
• STAR Institute for Sensory Processing: resources for children with sensory processing challenges, including activities to include as part of a sensory balanced daily schedule.

This blog was written by Liana Mae Atizado, a student in University of Pacific’s Doctoral Program in Occupational Therapy. Liana spent time during the 2023-24 school year at CCHAT, providing support and resources regarding occupational therapy to CCHAT staff.